Drupal 8 launches today and here I sit thinking about BackdropCMS

Doug Vann Drupal 8Where I am:

  • Today [11/19/15] is the BIG day! Finally, Drupal 8 launches!
  • I have co-planned a party at my local Drupal group here in Indianapolis.
  • I just paid $12 for this giant, blue “8” balloon! [woot woot!]
  • At that party I will be delivering a show-n-tell of the new Drupal 8 back end.
  • I have shared/authored social media posts to push the BUZZ along.
  • Drupal 7 work still keeps me busy and pays the bills. 

Where I’m going

  • Tomorrow and the day after [11/20/15 & 11/21/15] I will be delivering 2 separate, free, 4hr Drupal 8 trainings for the Drupal Association’s Global Training Days
  • I’m happy to say I’m working on a D8 book for a major publisher! [more on that when allowed]
  • I still have a DEEP desire to work further on my BackdropCMS site which, to date, has served as a playground for exploring functionality.

The longer road ahead, as I see it

I have already stated that I’m a huge fan of what BackdropCMS represents. I believe in the the market viability of BackdropCMS. As you can tell, I’m also very excited at what Drupal 8 represents in the evolution of the web as we know it. I plan on using both as needed.

How do I reconcile the two? It’s quite easy. I have long felt that Drupal 8 is moving “Up Market.” No matter how you define that, it is true on many levels. I have no problem with this. It’s a natural evolution and I agree with those who said was long long long long overdue. I tend to agree. HOWEVER… I’m already on the record as saying that some of the changes in Drupal 8 can, will, and already have cost us some marketshare. This is where I believe BackdropCMS is a highly effective tool for keeping these existing sites from migrating to WP or some proprietary platform. Many clients around the world are super happy with their D7 sites, and they will remain happy for some time to come. It is a matter of time before we start seeing D7 sites move off of D7. Some will head to D8. Many will not. I want to be at the intersection when they change roads!

A few words about the “Ownership Society”

I have also bloviated at length about how Drupal promotes an ownership society where a team of non-CompSci grads can make amazing websites with Drupal. I keep saying that Drupal 8 raises the bar to the point that many of the current satisfied D7 users will need to rely on vendors to do the things that they currently do themselves. Then along comes BackdropCMS. Bringing balance to The Force BackdropCMS will once again empower those who are thriving in the Ownership Society that is, at least to some degree, no longer there in Drupal 8.